Growing and Marketing Woody Species To Support Pollinators: An Emerging Opportunity for Forest, Conservation, and Native Plant Nurseries in the Northeastern United States

The decline of insects that pollinate flowers is garnering more attention by land managers, policymakers, and the general public. Nursery managers who grow native trees, shrubs, and woody vines have a promising opportunity to showcase these species, marketing their contributions to pollinator health and other ecosystem services in urban and wild landscapes. Species either not currently in production or in demand may benefit from niche markets that can be created around specific pollinators, especially butterflies and moths with their showy coloration. This is particularly true in the Northeastern United States because of the high diversity of woody species. Nursery catalogs can take advantage of free, online sources of images to highlight woody species and their pollinators. Marketing “pollinator packages,” suites of plants that combine different flowering times, forest canopy types, and plant forms (trees, shrubs, and vines), has potential to increase sales and improve habitat for native pollinators. This paper was presented at a joint meeting of the Northeast Forest and Conservation Nursery Association and Southern Forest Nursery Association (Kent Island, MD, July 20–23, 2015).

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Author(s): R. Kasten Dumroese, Tara Luna

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 59, Number 2 (2016)

Event: Joint Meeting of the Northeast Forest and Conservation Nursery Association and Southern Forest Nursery Association
2015 - Kent Island, MD

Volume: 59

Number: 2